Chapter Fifty-Four

**

�You gonna stick by me?�

�Maybe��

**

The next morning, I woke up alone. Not surprising. Dom never did sleep in late, even when he could. I stretched, then rolled out of bed. Stretched again before digging around in Dom�s drawers, grabbing a pair of his sweats and a t-shirt to wear.

As soon as I opened the door, I could hear the noise from downstairs. Sounded like Leon and Vince were already going at each other. Had to laugh at them as I was getting a bagel and some O.J. out of the kitchen.

�So you ready to lose, pumpkin? �Cause I can already feel my wallet getting fatter�� Leon taunted. I could almost picture the huge ass grin on his face, even though I couldn�t see him.

Leon never got tired of ragging on Vince� Seemed like he�d made it his goal in life to get a reaction. Never worked, though, no matter what he tried. V always just smirked and shrugged it off, when any other guy would�ve kicked Leon�s ass.

�So who�s playing?� I asked as I walked into the family room.

�Raiders,� Leon said, trying to lean around me so he could see the tv.

�Figures�� I muttered. Leon�s been obsessed with the Raiders for years. Even when they were up in Oakland, and even now that they�re back up there. You�d think there weren�t any other teams in the NFL, if you just knew football from watching it with him�

�So V, who you rooting for?� I asked, sitting down next to Jamie.

�For anybody but the Raiders!� Mia laughed as she walked up behind me and leaned over the back of the couch.

�Well shit, girl, tell me something I didn�t already know, wouldya?� I said, grinning as I reached over Jamie to ruffle Vince�s hair.

�Packers,� Vince said, grinning back at me.

�Oooh�Brett Favre!� Mia squealed as she walked around and sat down on the floor in front of me. �He�s cute!�

�Yeah, whatever, Mia!� Amber laughed.

�He is!� she insisted.

�Yeah, if you like preppy white boys, I guess��

�Hey now!� Leon immediately protested, throwing a pillow at Amber. �You love this white boy!�

�She said preppy white boys, Leon� And�� I laughed, looking him up and down. Wifebeater, baggy sweats, big ass tattoo on his shoulder� �somehow I don�t think you qualify!�

Jamie just kinda sat there on the couch and looked at all of us like she wasn�t sure what to think. Or it could�ve been that she was hung over�

�Game started yet?� Dom asked as he walked through the back door.

�Nope,� Vince answered, not even looking up.

�Yo, dawg, where you been?� Leon asked. Like Vince, his eyes were glued to the tv, waiting for the opening kickoff.

�Had some business I had to take care of,� Dom answered, practically throwing himself into the big chair across the room.

I narrowed my eyes and stared at him. Something in his voice was just�off.

�So you know anything about football, Jamie?� Vince asked, draping his arm across the back of the couch so it rested against Jamie�s shoulders. �Or you just as much a virgin to that as you were to racing cars?�

�You�ll just have to wait and see�� she said, laughing a little.

I noticed she didn�t move away from his arm. Amber caught my eyes and I nearly busted out laughing at the grin on her face.

�What are you two laughing at?� Vince asked, looking back and forth between the two of us.

�Oh, nothing�� Amber said in a sing-song voice.

�I think we need more food,� I said, standing up and tugging Mia up after me. Amber jumped up a second later and followed us into the kitchen, leaving Jamie out with the boys.

�Are they just too adorable or what?� Mia asked while she got some bowls out of the cupboard.

�Definitely,� Amber answered.

�You know,� I added, �I don�t know if I can even remember the last time I�ve seen Vince acting like this�all cuddly and almost romantic, even��

�It�s good for him,� Mia said.

�Did you see them last night?� Amber asked, getting the soda and beer out of the fridge.

�Oh, definitely!� I laughed as I grabbed the chips and dip.

�Wait�what?� Mia asked.

�You didn�t see them?� I asked. �Damn girl, you must�ve really been knocked out when Dom took you to bed! They were all cuddling and shit�you know, when you lay on your side and the guy�s behind you with his arm wrapped over�what�s that called?�

�Well, I missed that too,� Amber laughed. �But this morning when I woke up, Vince was flat on his back and Jamie was lying practically right on top of him�using his chest like a pillow��

�You people need to tell me about these things!� Mia said. �And am I really the only one in this house now with nothing romantic going on in their life? How fucking pathetic is that???�

�Oh come on, girl,� I said, walking over to Mia and draping my arm around her shoulder. �It�s not that bad��

�Yeah�there�s always Brett Favre!� Amber exclaimed, finishing my thought.

�Good luck finding a preppy white boy in this house, though�� I said before we walked back out into the family room.